Sudan has the right to reject non-African troops: Official

December 9, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A senior Sudanese official said today that his government reserves the right to reject non-African troops in Darfur peacekeeping force.

Sudan’s minister Foreign Affairs in charge Al-Samani al-Wasila told reporters today at the foreign ministry that UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1769 establishing UN-AU hybrid force, states that the selection of countries was to be made by the tripartite committee that includes UN, African Union (AU) and Sudan.

“The UN charter does not allow for sending of troops to a country without the approval of this country” he added.

Al-Wasila also accused the UN of delaying the financing of the African troops on the ground saying that their salaries are backlogged five months. The official said that lack of funding will make African countries hesitant to send their forces to Darfur.

Last week the head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, told the UNSC that a series of logistic and other obstacles raised by Sudan was putting in doubt the deployment of the hybrid African Union-UN force.

Problems detailed by Guehenno included Sudan’s objections to some non-African units, failure to provide land, curbs on helicopter flights and quest for a status of forces pact that he said “would make it impossible for the mission to operate.”

The Sudanese official said that his government proposed an interim Status of Forces (SAF) agreement valid till December while they agree on a permanent one. He further said that Sudan submitted their objections on elements of the SAF to the UN last month.

UN officials said that Sudan proposed changes to SAF would allow the government to “temporarily disable the communications network” in case of security operations to protect the country’s sovereignty. The other would require the AU-UN force to provide “advance notification to the government for all staff, troop and asset movements,” he said.

Al-Wasila criticized the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operation (UNDPK) of trying to jump over the phases of the hybrid force. He said that the stages should start with light support package, heavy support package and finally the hybrid force.

“The light support package is only 77% done and the heavy support package has not even started” he added.

The Sudanese official rejected allegations that his country is delaying the deployment of the hybrid force. He quoted the Italian envoy at the UN who said that the blame should not be placed on Sudan over the delays.

“Even if there were delays the UNSC is not the right place to discuss the matter” Al-Wasila said.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon dispatched two envoys to meet with Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir in Lisbon at the EU-AU summit in Lisbon but he declined the meeting.

UN Assistant Secretary General for peacekeeping operations Edmond Mulet and Ban’s deputy chief of staff Kim Won-Soo were trying to iron out remaining logistical issues with Al-Bashir and his delegation according to a UN spokesperson.

International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed.

(ST)